Athletes, for whatever reason, have athletic prowess, which is both innate and is tied to what is referred to herein as dynamic performance balance. Assuming that an athlete stands on his/her feet when performing the athletic activity, it has been shown that by proper configuration of an athletic shoe to give support to the foot, and thus to the rest of the body, athletic performance can be enhanced.
Several theories surround the enhancement of athletic performance. One dynamic balance theory states that the athlete's performance will be improved if the athlete can, in some sense, provide a balanced effort when participating in the athletic activity. Athletes who can benefit from a shimming of athletic shoes to provide such balance include golfers, skiers, runners, basketball, baseball, and football players, or in fact any athlete who requires athletic shoes.
In dynamic balance the theoretical principle is that every athlete when making a movement, such as a swing of a bat or a hockey stick, will first use the muscles to put his/her skeleton in balance prior to the athletic activity. In a book by John Thie, entitled Touch for Health, muscle testing is discussed in which downward pressure is placed on an outstretched hand while counter pressure is placed on an opposite shoulder. In this test, guidance can be obtained on whether a particular function is out of balance energy-wise. One muscle, the deltoid muscle in the shoulder, is identified as an indicator muscle. While biofeedback is used to determine so-called "energy balance", the use of an energy balance technique as relating to footgear is not described.